Live blogging from Arco: We have a plan

Our experiment in providing a live blog from the NorCal basketball finals at Folsom High wasn’t exactly as streamlined as it was supposed to be. But all those glitches from last Saturday should be cleared up this Saturday for minute-by-minute updates when the Branson girls tip off at 9:30 a.m. against Mission Prep of San Luis Obispo, followed by the boys state championship between Branson and Renaissance Academy of La Caada at 11:15.
Though Folsom High’s gym was a fantastic venue, we were surprised to learn there was no Internet wireless connection. So we improvised. Dave Albee and I called staffer Derek Wilson, who held down the fort back at the IJ in Novato, with updates during every timeout.

Sometimes it worked well, but sometimes the phone was busy, the crowd was loud or we just had to put the cell down and pay attention to the action in front of us. Honestly, we weren’t able to give as much detail or be as frequent as we would have liked.

Now, on Saturday at Arco, it will be a different story. The arena provides wi-fi to the media at courtside, meaning the IJ will have a reporter within spitting distance of Mike Fulton, Jonas Honick and everyone else for the kind of play-by-play we know you demand.

Thanks for hanging in there. If you haven’t seen it yet, photo editor Robert Tong and staff photographer Alan Dep put together an audio slideshow narrated by Fulton and Honick and a video narrated by Branson athletics co-director Tom Ryan. Bob and Alan plan much more coverage like that from Arco too. Stay connected!